Small talk isn’t for everyone. Especially introverts, who find the practice tedious, wanting to get straight to the deep stuff without the empty conversations that typically start with enquiries about your weekend. So get over the idea that introverts just despise other people, and instead make yourself a better raconteur and conversationalist! Here are some(…)

We recently talked about the multilingualism of Switzerland and were impressed by its integrated use of three official languages. But what about places that have even more than three official languages? Are they equally impressive in their language use, or altogether more chaotic? Let’s start by taking a look at the country with the most(…)

Based on anecdotal evidence from popular media, it’s widely believed that alcohol improves the ability to speak in a foreign language, ostensibly due to the anxiety-reducing effects of booze itself. Based on personal experience, a couple of drinks goes a long way toward loosening my tongue no matter what language I’m speaking. I’m currently on(…)

Even though I’ve been trying to study Dutch for years (for heritage’s sake), I have to agree that sometimes it does seem rather alien. At first, I thought learning my grandfather’s language wouldn’t be hard. For one, I was convinced my tongue and vocal chords were genetically predisposed to making weird guttural sounds. (For this, you’d(…)

Whenever people decide to embark on a language learning journey, they tend to choose languages like Spanish or French. It’s not all that surprising considering these two languages are common staples in most learning institutions. Portuguese seems to be a much less popular choice, which is mind-boggling considering all the benefits there are to learning(…)

There are so many people who genuinely want to learn a new language, and yet never follow through. It seems that intention doesn’t always translate into action, regardless of how much you wish it would! Procrastination can be the death of learning anything, whether you dream of acquiring the skills to be a strong swimmer,(…)

Have you ever just wanted to punch someone in the face? Like something about them just brings out all of your repressed anger? It’s probably because of their backpfeifengesicht, a German word for “a face asking to be punched”. The term is a combination of backpfeife (punch/slap) and gesicht (face) and is absolutely untranslatable. I(…)

Since not all of us are lucky enough to have access to a TARDIS or Bill and Ted’s telephone booth (…what is it about time travel and booths?), the rest of us mere mortals will simply have to use another method to traverse the passage of time. And for that, we can turn to languages.(…)

Becoming fluent in English is a tricky business, and even it is your native tongue it’s certain to surprise you again and again. Sure, you can talk with ease on topics such as religion, politics, and global warming, but do you know how truly strange the English language can be? Learn a little more about(…)

You don’t ever stop learning a language. That’s a reality that you, as a learner, have to grasp. Languages change so constantly, and so much, that sometimes it’s even difficult to keep up with our native ones! Still, there are occasions where you don’t have a lot of time to acquire a new language. Maybe(…)